Yeah, ucodegen, I also thought the trailer (Conex) may have been used to store things in because the house had been flooded. I do agree that a “roll on” with an open-top (with one end open, if desired) would be better to use to get rid of debris. However, with county parcels which are lower than the street (as this one is), I’ve seen multiple instances where a gravel or dirt … or even muddy half-circle driveway made it impossible for a tractor trailer to deliver a roll-on and set it down on the property. The driveway was too steep, too slippery, a weird angle, etc and there was a danger that the tractor trailer would end up inadvertently backing into the house. I feel the previous homeowner brought that thing down with his own vehicles and it was still there when the flipper bought it. It is possible that the property was vacant for some or all of years between when the google street view photo was taken and when the flipper bought it in November 2015.
I completely agree with the lack of building codes in SD County in 1947 … especially in unincorporated areas as we are discussing here. The City of Chula Vista was long incorporated by then and had few building codes at that time. Yes, the soil was not compacted before pouring a foundation or driveway/patio and no rebar or “big rock” beds were used. In addition, there was really no code enforcement in place until the late ’60’s. Homeowners built all kinds of things on their lots … even garages … all the way to the lot lines and these structures are mostly all still standing today (“grandfathered”).
I agree that the flippers could have “fixed” that short retaining wall in less than one day, but you’re right, it likely has an inadequate or no foundation and has likely moved closer to the house over the years. More lipstick on the pig.
Thanks for panning the street in google to see the continuation of the crack. I didn’t bother to do that.
The prior tax roll value on the current supplemental tax bill is only $75,949. For that area, this indicates an approximate late ’70’s purchase by one or more of the owners (or their benefactors).
I’m interested to hear what the OP’s (or former buyer principal’s) inspection report(s) turn up.
